Style Obsession: Gradient Nails

May 6, 2020/

Happy day, reader dear!

How’s your manicure? That was a rather blunt start to a blog post, but at New Year’s, I made myself a promise to shorten up my blog posts and have made little to no progress on that front. So, why not try launching right into this one? I have written a few other Style Obsession posts, one about a pair of hoops, and another about white watches. I’m not sure why, but these Style Obsessions come on like a wave. First I notice the “thing.” Then, I start seeing them everywhere. Finally I just decide to run with it becauseI love it and it’s fun and won’t break the bank. (If it will break the bank, please don’t run with it!)

So, for some reason last month, nails started popping up on my Pinterest-For-You feed. Strange? Yes, because I had never searched nails, or manicures, or any related searches… And then came #shelterinplace, and I thought, maybe it’s time to learn to do my own nails again. (I used to polish them every Sunday night when #1 son was a baby and I worked an office job.) Two more children and a lifetime later, and a manicure became something I did once a month, and didn’t worry about color on my nails after that first week.

After pinning a few, I went back to search for more images and found them under a variety of pseudonyms: Ombre Nails, Multi-Colored Nails, Rainbow Nails, Any Color Nails, Wabi-Sabi Manicure… I’m sure there are more names to call them! The more looks I found, the more I noticed themes I liked and others I didn’t.

LOVE these! Even if the some of the colors aren’t my jam…

There’s a common thread here! On each hand there are only 3 or 4 colors. That gives each mani some continuity. The colors on each share the same undertone and other properties like intensity or value. As long as the colors chosen share two of the three properties, I find it visually appealing. Other manis that use color differently are certainly fun, but don’t make me want to go out and relearn my polish skill set.

These, too, are fun, but they don’t have the elegance of the first set… They seem choppy and disconnected. Which you may love. It’s a personality thing! Something about them makes me think of R/W&B manis for the Fourth of July, or school color manis for sporting events. I know that makes me sound like a killjoy, but we all like different things! Those aren’t mine. If you love them, awesome. And write a blog post about it and let me know!

Here’s how my first attempt turned out… Not bad.

I don’t have the lovely boneless and smooth skinned look of the manicure pics, but I was happy with how the colors looked! Now, it’s time to try another combination. Keep an eye open on Instagram; I’ll probably post it over there later this week…

So how about you? What kind of shape are your nails in? Great because you’ve had more time to tend them at home, a wreck because you’ve been busy gardening and household project-ing, or somewhere in between? Is this gradient look something you’ve tried? Or might try? Why or why not? It’s just one more little piece of understanding what makes you tick! And THAT you can apply to the bigger things in life. Do let me know your thoughts in the comments below, and tag me on Insta (@closetplayimage) if you post something fun. I do so love to hear from you!